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(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1..

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OVERHEAD CONDUCTOR FOR ELEGTBIG RAILWAYS. No. 392,757. Patented Nov. 13, 1838 N PETERS. Phulo-Lnhogmpher, Wminmm n c,

(N o ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

E. E. RIBS.

OVERHEAD CONDUCTOR FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Elllii Pat ented I 1 1 1F 1 WT Q6 I INSIENTEIE]; 1

Unirnn drains PATIENT anion,

ELIAS E. BIES, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO RIES & HENDERSON, 0F SAME PLACE.

OVERHEAD CONDUCTO'R FOR ELECTRlC RABLWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,757, dated November 13, 1888..

Application filed September-10,1887 Serial No. 249,333. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ELIAS E. Bins, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Overhead Conductors for Electric Railways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In systems of electrical locomotion where the propelling-current is transmitted to the vehicles from a generating-station the motor is mounted upon a wheeled vehicle traveling upon rails, and the current is supplied to the motor either by the rails themselves or by suitable conductors arranged parallel to the track,or by both. If separate conductors are employed, the same are arranged either underground or overhead, and contact-wheels traveling upon such conductors conveying the current to the motor are utilized, and for the successful op eration of such systems it is essential that the contact-wheels move with great uniformity and ease upon. the line conductors. These wheels are for this reason necessarily light, and as a consequence thereof a derailment of the same frequently occurs, which at once breaks the circuit and stops the motor. If the conductors are placed overhead, it is not prac' ticable to support them throughout their entire length. They are necessarily supported at comparatively few points only, and as heretofore constituted each conductor would bend between the supporting-points and become distorted not only by its own weight, but also under the pressure and the vibrations sustained by the traveling contacts. Moreover, overhead conductors as now constructed are adapted to supply current to a number of locomotives only when the same travel upon the same or upon an adjoining parallel track in the same direction. For this reason in doubletracl; roads two overhead line-conductors had to be provided on account of the impossibility for two traveling contacts to pass each other upon any one of the conductors now used without complicated turnouts.

It is the object of this invention to overcome the diificulties and objections to the present systems of electric locomotion. I provide a line-conductor or line-conductors of such crosssection as will render the same sclf-supporting between the points of support, so that there will be no appreciable bending, elongation, or distortion of the same. My line-con ductors will therefore be in fact girders,which can not only support their own weight, but can at the same time sustain the pressure and the vibrations from the traveling contacts without injury. To secu re good contact and to pre vent the derailment of the traveling contact, I construct the line-conductors with two contact-surfaces facing each other, or with sets of two such contact-surfaces, and in place of the single contact wheel or roller now commonly used I employ two or more of them, constituting a truck which will span the space be tween said contact surfaces and will be pressed continuously against the same in opposite directions. In order to permit two contact-trucks to pass each other upon the same lineconductor, a contact-surface or sets of contact-surfaces are provided on opposite sides of one conductor; but in either case they will permit the operation of a doubletrack road by the use of three line-conductors, one of them constructed in accordance with the fundamental idea of my invention, while the others may more nearly approach the ordinary construction.

My invention also comprises other features which are more or less auxiliary to those here indicated.

It will be understood that other forms of self-supporting line-conductors may be used having provisions for the passage of contact rollers or trucks in opposite directions, and I do not limit myself to the identical construction herein shown and described; but those shown are well adapted to the purposes in view, and are sufficient to illustrate the manifold uses to which my invention may be put. Being of comparatively large erosssection, the line-conductors may be made of iron, steel, or any other metal or alloy of comparatively low conductivity and great strength, whereby the initial cost and the expense of repairs, 850., are considerably reduced, and are especially considerably cheaper than copper overhead conductors of ordinary construction. I apply a thick coat of insulating paint to all parts of my conductors, with the exception, of course, of the contact-surfaces, and they are properly insulated from the supporting-posts B if the latter are made of metal.

My improvements in their most simple form are more especially applicable to systems of electric locomotion wherein one'of the rails of the track is used .for carrying the current in one direction, while a separate conductor, preferably placed overhead and between the two tracks, is employed for carrying the current in the other direction; but their use is by no means confined to such systems, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application, several modifications of my improvements are illustrated; but it will be understood that I do not confine myself to the specific constructions herein shown and described, for the same may be widely departedirom without departing from the prineiples embodied therein.

The drawings show, in Figure]. an end elevation of two electric locomotives upon separate tracks with a common overhead line-conductor between the same; Fig. 2, a diagrammatica-l view of the tracks, overhead conductor, and contact-trucks of the system illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an end view of the common lineconductor with my improved contact truck thereon; Fig. 1-, a side view of the same; Fig. 5, a modified construction of the common lineconductor of such system, Fig.6, an end view of a system of overhead conductors for a doubletraek road with contact-trucks thereon; Fig. 7, a plan view of such system and its connections with the generating-station; Fig. 8, an end view of a modified form of an overhead con ductor for a double-track road.

In Fig. 1 two parallel tracks composed of rails A A and A A, respectively, are shown, with a pillar or post, B, carrying upon its up per end the line-conductor O, which, as hereinafter described is in the form of a self-supporting'girder, and which in thisinstancc carries the outgoing current for both tracks. Upon the latter are mounted the wheeled vehicles D D, having each an electric motor, E It, mounted below the platform and geared to one of the axles, as shown.

For each vehicle there'is a contact-truck, F, constructed,as hereinafter described,upon the line-conductor, and a flexible conductor, G, suitably connected with the contact truck which carries the incoming current from the latter to the motor. Leaving the motor at e, the current proceeds by contact-brush c to one of the axles of the vehicle and by one of the wheels to the track, by which it returns to the generator.

In Fig. 2 the circuit arrangements are shown diagrammatically and can be easily traced. The two tracks A A. A A are arranged as in Fig. l with the line-conductor 0 between the tracks. The positive terminal from the gen-' crating-station is connected with the line-con ductor and the negative terminal is branched, and one of the branches is connected to the inner rail of one and the other branch to the in nor rail of the other track. It, now, an electric locomotive having the arrangements shown in Fig. 1 is placed upon one of the tracks, the current will proceed from the positive ter1ninal of the generators or generator to the lineconductor 0, and by the respective contacttruck F and flexible conductor G to the motor. From the motor the current will continue by the path traced with reference to Fig. 1 to the inner rail of the track and willreturn through the latter to the generatoror generators. Precisely the'same course will be taken by the current through another locomotive placed upon the adjoining track. The circuits are thus in multiple-arc branches, and it is clear that a number of locomotives may at the sametime be propelled upon each track.

Theline-eonductor O is constructed as shown in Figs. 3, 4t, and 5. Its general shape is that of a double Tgirder with the central stem of one T forming the continuation of the central stem of the other. Thus four contact-surfaces, c c c c, are furnished by each line-conductor of the form here shown, each contact-surface being the end of a lateral stem of the double T, so that on each side of the central stem or web (I there are two contact-surfaces facing each other. This line-conductor may be made of any suitable matcrial,and may be caster rolled in one piece, as shown in Fig. 3; or the central web, (I, may be made separately,and may ICU be united with the lateral stems by bolts, as

shown in Fig. 5, or in any other suitable manner. The main object of this construction is to render the conductor self-supporting and to allow the passage over the same of two contacttrucks in opposite directions. The contact'truck used in connection with this form of line-conductor is constructed as shown in Figs. 3 and 4-. There is a truck-frame composed of two plates, F F, each having two stationary bearings for the journals ofgrooved contact-rollers ff, and one sliding bearing,

f, for the journal of a grooved contactroller, f. Journal -bearing f, and with it the rollerf, is seated upon a spring, s,whereby rollerf is forced away from the line which joins the axles of rollers ff. This truck is placed upon the line-conductor in such man nor that the grooves of rollers ff are engaged by the lower contact-surface, a, of the lineconductor,while the groove of rollerf is en gaged by the upper contact surface, 0, of the line-conductor. .In this position of the contact-truck the spring 3 is compressed, so that the rollers are forced firmly against the contact-surfaceswhich safely engage the grooves of the rollers, whereby a derailment of truck is made practically impossible. It will be understood that with this construction of coir tact-truck it is easy to remove the same from the line-conductors without difficulty. All that is necessary is to compress the spring 8 IIO sufficiently to disengage the grooves of the wheels or rollers from the contact-surfaces. The flexible conductor G is detachably connected with the contact-truck by a sleeve, f fast upon one of the plates, F, and provided with clamp screws, as indicated in the drawings. By preference this sleeve f is at an angle to the plane of plate F and points toward the line of travel of the locomotive, whereby the flexible conductor G, which will bend to the natural curve of iiexure,will proceed from the sleeve without a violent angular bend.

In Figs. 6 and 7 a complete system of overhead conductors, with appropriate contact trucks, is shown as applied to a double-track road. In this system the trackis an ordinary railway with the rails in section, which need not be electrically connected, since the current is supplied to the motors entirely by the overhead conductols. The connection of the generator with these conductors is identical with the connections shown in Fig. 2, except that for the inner rails, A A, the auxiliary lineconductors are substituted. These auxiliary conductors O are constructed asshown in Fig. 6. They are in effect like the principal lineconductor, 0, with the lateral stems and contact-surfaces on one side of the central stem omitted.

The three line-conductors are secured with their heads to plates H, of insulating material, whereby they are held apart at proper distances, and the whole system is mounted upon posts B in the same manner as the single-line conductor in Fig. 3. The contact-trucks for this modified system are composed each of two trucks of the kind described with reference to Figs. 8 and 4-, which are joined by a block, 1*, of insulating material, secured to the adjacent plates F F of the two sections.

The sleeve f for the reception of the flexible conductor (l, is se ured to block f*, and two insulated wires, 10 w, embedded in the ca ble, are connected one to each of the adjacent plates F, the outer ends of these wires being connected with the motor in the usual manner. The outgoing current from the generator passes to the central line-conductor, and by one half of the twin truck and one of the wires 10 to the motor. It then returns from the motor by the other wire it and by the other half of the twin truck to one of the auxiliary line-conduct0rs back to the generator.

A modified form of overhead conductors for a double-track road is shown in Fig. 8. In this case the auxiliary conductors are dispensed with, the lineconductor being con strueted with two T-irons, having their central stems connected mechanically, but insulated from each other electrically by means of an insulating-plate, as, as shown. The generator is in this form of line-conductor connected with the two T-irons, as indicated by the plus and minus sign, and trucks constructed substantially like those shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are used for carrying the current to the motors, the only difference being thatin this case contact-wheel F is mounted in insulatingbearings, and is provided with an extended shaft, to which one of the flexible conductors is connected, or contact -trucks constructed substantially like those shown in Fig. 8 may be used.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In an electric railway, the combination of a line-eonduetor extending parallel with the road and having pairs of contact surfaces, each contact-surface of a pair facing the other, with contact-trucks, each mounted to engage with a pair of contactsurfaces, substantially as described.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of a system of line-conductors extending parallel with the road and having pairs of opposed contact-surfaees, with a contact-truck for each pair consisting of three grooved rollers engaging the contactsurfaces and a spring for forcing the rollers into contact with the contact-surfaces, substantially as described.

3. In an electric railway, the combination of a charged line-conductor extending parallel with and between the inner rails of a double track and having pairs of opposed contactsurfaces, with a contact-truck for each track deriving current from each pair of contactsurfaces of the same line-conductor,an electric locomotive upon each track, and a flexible conductor from each contact-truck to its respective l0com0tive,substantially as described.

4. In an electric railway, the combination of a charged lineconductor extendin parallel with and between the inner rails of a double track and having pairs of opposed contactsurfaces and an auxiliary line-conductor for each track, also having a pair of opposed contact-surfaces, with a contact-truck for each track having contact-wheels which are insulated from each other, bearing, respectively, upon the principal line-conductor and upon one auxiliary line-conductor, substantially as described.

5. In an electric railway, a girder or channel conductor formed of two longitudinal sections, each provided with flanges or contactsurfaces facing those of the other, contact trucks adapted to travel upon said flanges and be retained thereby, and provided with collecting devices and a suitable source of electricity in circuit with the conductor.

6. In an electric railway, the combination, with the longitudinal line-conductor having one or more conducting channels or ways, of the contact-truck adapted to travel therein and having upper and lower contactwheels or collecting-surfaces, and circuitconnections from the contact-surfaces of the truck to the terminals of a moving translating device, substantially as described.

7. In an electric railway, an elevated conductor system comprising a line of posts planted at intervals midway between the rails and the vehicles traversing the railway, sub- 10 of a double-track railway, a continuous selfstantially as described.

supporting conductor extending from post to In testimony whereof I affix my signature in post along the line of way and provided with presence of two witnesses.

5 a collector-channel at each side of its center q line, and contact trucks or trolleys traveling LLIAS within said collector-channel, those at one side Witnesses: in a direction opposite to those on the other, JNO. T. MADDOX,

and flexible connection between the trucks GEO. H. TIoHENoR. 

